


a knight's errand

by desastrista



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Disabled Character, Dragons, Knights - Freeform, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 15:21:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13192914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/desastrista/pseuds/desastrista
Summary: Keith is the heir to the Galran throne, but after the end of a war between the Galran Empire and the Altean Kingdom he is sent to live as a ward to King Alfor. On the eve of his nineteenth birthday, Keith disappears after a dragon attacks the castle. Shiro is the knight who is sent to rescue him, but when he finds Keith he realizes not everything is at it seems. The two of them unite to break a curse, avoid the forces hunting them, and maybe even fall in love. Not necessarily in that order.Written for the 2017 Sheith Secret Santa for starlaynes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Laura (aka starlaynes) requested a fantasy AU Prince Keith and Knight Shiro. I was really hoping to get this done by Christmas, but the story had a habit of getting away from me. Nonetheless Laura I hope you like it, and thank you for such a wonderful prompt! I had wanted to write something with a dragon for a while, and this was the perfect opportunity :)

There was a stretch in the path to the capital where the royal palace first came into view. If you knew where to stop and then walk slowly forward, you could see the first turret slowly rise above the horizon. Shiro knew the path well; he had walked it many times, although none in the last few years. These past few years he had actively avoided this path. But for old time’s sake, he stopped walking when he got to the right point on the trail. Then he took one step and then another, looking to the horizon that stretched out ahead. 

The blue stripe of the sky remained undisturbed. 

Shiro looked forwards and then backwards. Had he gotten the distance wrong? It had been a while, after all. Sometimes it could feel like a lifetime ago. He took a few steps forward and let out a breath of relief as he saw the first glimpse of the castle. But a few steps more and he started to frown.

His feet had not forgotten that old spot after all. The turret had collapsed. Scaffolding had been erected in its place and Shiro could see the line of newly set bricks where the royal builders had started to try and replace what was gone. 

Shiro paused to put down his pack and take out the summons to read it over again. The Princess Allura – Queen Allura now, he mentally corrected himself, Queen – had written to him asking for aide. But she had not said anything about an enemy at the gates. And the rest of the Palace or its grounds did not look damaged, like it would if a hostile power had gotten close enough to destroy an entire wing.

Whatever it was that had destroyed that part of the Palace, it came on the heels of a mysterious summon to the Palace for the first time since the late King Alfor had been alive. Shiro started to walk faster.

 

 

Shiro had hoped to survey the damage to the Castle of the Lions as he got closer, but as he approached, a guard hailed him and, after being shown the message from the Queen, insisted that he enter through the main gates. Shiro expected to be let in to the throne room, which was the standard for most guests to the royal household. But instead he was led through one of the hallways that marked the beginning of the Queen’s personal residence. Eventually the guard led him into a small room, where the Queen herself was pacing nervously. 

“Shiro, it’s you!” Allura said happily, even as Shiro got on one knee before her. He heard Allura dismiss the guard and then say, “Don’t bother with all those formalities. It hasn’t been that long since we were both children playing together in the castle.” 

Shiro got back up to his feet reluctantly. “Long enough that you are now a Queen,” he responded. 

Allura’s expression was soft. “I missed you at my father’s funeral.” There was a question in her voice that lingered, but Shiro could not bring himself to answer it. “But I suppose I understand. I knew you would come back someday, though. I just wish it were under better circumstances.”

“My lady, what is wrong?” 

Allura sighed. “It is about the Prince Keith.” Shiro frowned. Shiro had never met the Prince Keith, but he knew of him. The Galran Prince Keith, the only true-born son of King Zarkon and ward to the late King Alfor. When Altea had defeated the Galran Empire five years ago, the Prince had been brought over to be raised in the Altean court. Ostensibly it would help heal the divisions of the two kingdoms, but everyone knew it was to guarantee his father’s good behavior until the Prince Keith was of age to assume the throne.

The Prince bore a heavy diplomatic weight on his shoulders, and Shiro felt his own shoulders tense as he saw the way that the Queen’s brow had set when she spoke his name. 

“What has happened, my lady?” Shiro asked, already fearing the worst. 

“He’s vanished! On the eve of his nineteenth birthday.” 

“Vanished?” Shiro echoed. The royal family was so well-guarded. How could a prince simply _disappear_? 

“You have seen the castle,” Allura rubbed a hand against her temple. “We were attacked – by a dragon.” 

“A dragon?” Shiro repeated. If Allura’s expression had been any less serious, he might have laughed. “But it has been a thousand years since anyone has seen a dragon.” 

“It _had_ been a thousand years,” Allura agreed. “Now it has only been a few days. I saw it myself. It was a big, terrible, fearsome thing. It came out of nowhere, and attacked the room that housed my brother. The Prince. I’ve started to think of him as a brother, after all these years. He was supposed to leave in a few days to return to the Empire and take his throne. But now – he’s gone.” She was quiet for a moment. “I don’t even know if he is still alive.” 

“He must be,” Shiro said, because he knew it was what Allura needed to hear. 

_He must be, because the two realms will slide into war again if he is not._

“I have already sent out some troops with the mission to find the dragon, the prince, or both,” Allura said. She was not quite looking at Shiro as she spoke. There was a hesitancy in her voice before she added, “The Galran Prince Lotor also sent a messenger asking to assist in the quest. It is his half-brother who disappeared, after all.” She was quiet for a moment and then added, “He also asked that if he was able to bring me the prince or the head of the dragon who had taken the prince that he have my hand in marriage.” 

The tone in her voice made it clear that it was not a welcome proposal. 

“Prince Lotor is the illegitimate son of the Emperor and his Imperial Witch,” Shiro said. “He is just looking for a way to power, because he knows that he can never ascend the Galran throne. You cannot accept that proposal. The price is too steep, both for you and Altea.” 

Allura sighed. “It would be undiplomatic of me to say so. It would also be undiplomatic of me to refuse. Not allowing a Galran prince – whatever his lineage may be, the Galra still consider him a prince – to look after the heir to the Galran throne? The Emperor Zarkon would start asking questions. He might even develop some erroneous suspicions about Altea’s involvement in poor Keith’s sudden disappearance, and we could have the grounds for another destructive war.” Allura was quiet for a moment and looked at the floor. She sighed, but when she looked back up at Shiro, there was a sharp gleam in her eye that Shiro knew from when they had both been children and which he did not like at all. 

“What is your plan, then?” he asked, at the same time that she started to say, “You served my father so well.” 

A pause, and then Allura continued, “I sent for you so that I could request your help in finding my brother.” 

Shiro blanched. “Please, my lady, I want to help, but what assistance could I be against a dragon?” He made a sweeping motion with his arm. He rarely liked drawing attention to the stub where he had lost his right hand during the last war against the Galran Empire, but it might help to remind Queen Allura of it right now. 

Her expression remained unchanged. 

“My fighting days are over,” he continued. He tried not to make his voice sound too much like a plea. 

“Oh Shiro,” Allura said, “But you are so brave and clever.” 

“I do not think a dragon can be defeated by bravery and cleverness.” 

“There is no one that I would trust more in this kingdom to find my brother. Please, bring him home. Or if that is not possible – please, bring me news of him.”

Shiro sighed. It was an impossible task that the Queen was asking him to do. But he owed his life to the royal family. He would see the impossible done. 

“I promise, my lady.” He bowed again. “Now, which direction did the dragon come from? Where was it last seen flying?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it so far! Continues (with slightly more dragons) in the next chapters. If you ever want to yell about fantasy AUs and/or Sheith and/or dragons, [my ask box on tumblr is always open.](http://desastrista.tumblr.com/ask)


	2. Chapter 2

No one had seen which direction the dragon had come from, but everyone agreed it that had flown east and so Shiro headed that way too. He had been given a fine horse by the Queen, along with some generous provisions and an even more generous purse. 

He rode hard for almost a full day along the main road east. He stopped only a few times after the capital had fallen away behind him on the horizon to ask farmers and other travelers what they had seen of the dragon. 

“You could see pure evil in its eyes,” the first woman he asked said, while her husband nodded. 

“It let out a huge burst of fire as it flew above us,” another man said, although the fields he worked looked curiously untouched by calamity. 

If Shiro found the reports to be perhaps a tad inflated in their assessment of the dragon, at least they agreed on a key detail: the dragon had been flying towards the mountains a few days ago and had not been seen since. 

He slept under the stars that first day, but after a second day of riding he decided to spend the night at an inn along the road. The innkeeper was initially kind when offering a room, but did little to hide his disgust when he saw the sword that Shiro wore. 

“Don’t worry,” Shiro gave a bland smile. “I haven’t used it in a while.” 

The innkeeper gave a snort. “But you are one of those people off to fight that damned dragon, aren’t you?” 

Shiro didn’t answer, but instead asked, “Have you seen a lot of people looking for it?” 

“Everyone with half a brain and half a sword has left. They all think if they can slay the dragon that the Queen will fill their coffers with gold. The mountains are probably crawling with fortune-seekers now. Hope the dragon eats all of them, myself. Fortune-hunters make for rude guests. As for the dragon, it hasn’t bothered me, so why would I want to go chasing trouble?” 

“Have you seen anyone Galran looking after the dragon?” Shiro asked. 

He was met with a suspicious glance. “You must not be from around here,” the innkeeper said slowly, as if he thought Shiro must be simple. “The Galran Empire is a long way south from here. Even during the war, they never came around these parts. Why would they go hunting for a dragon?” 

Shiro gave a bland smile in return. “Of course. It’s impossible. But with a real live dragon flying around, I just wondered how many other impossible things were happening now too.” 

The innkeeper let out a snort at that, but seemed satisfied enough with the answer. He left Shiro alone afterwards. Shiro found he had lost his appetite after the conversation and went straight to bed. Sleep would not come easily. 

So, it was not enough to fight a dragon. Not even enough to fight a dragon before a Galran prince found it. He had an army of fortune-seekers to contend with, as well. 

 

 

It was on his fifth day on the road that he saw the first sign of the dragon. 

The road had led him straight to a pass through the mountains. It might have once been a well-travelled path, but right now the entrance was sealed off by a pile of loose rocks that was as tall as three men. There were signs of debris and discarded tools: other people had clearly been here and either scaled the rocks or given up and returned home. 

At first, Shiro thought the road might have fallen into disrepair or that a rockslide had closed off this passage. He had only been in these mountains once, years ago, while serving as a knight under the old King Alfor, but he remembered the many warnings he had been told during that time about falling rocks. It was a common enough danger around here. But as Shiro looked up at the ledges of rock above to see if there might be further danger, he realized his mistake. 

Claw marks decorated the top of the cliffs. They were huge, even from a distance. If Shiro had to guess, he would say that each gash in the rock was probably about his height. 

And there were many, many gashes. 

The dragon must have scrambled for purchase on these rockfaces. It would have knocked loose the debris that blocked the path. Shiro looked up and down the fallen rocks. It would be a hard climb. He guessed it had been difficult enough to sent more than a few men haler than him back empty-handed. He took a few minutes to look around to see if there was an easier path forward, but did not see anything. Trying to clear out the rocks would also take a calvary. That did not leave him much choice: the Queen was relying on him to bring her news about the prince. 

He grabbed his pack and let his horse free. The stallion would probably have a safer journey on his own than where Shiro was headed, anyway. Then he started to climb up the rocks. It took several hours to scale. If Shiro had been the man who had served under King Alfor, perhaps it would have taken less time, but he had never scaled a mountain with only one hand before and it was a long and painful trick to learn. 

The sun was sinking into the horizon by the time he made it to the other side of the rocks. It was an eerily quiet sight that greeted him on the other side. No birds chirped. No animals at all could be heard. No doubt the dragon had frightened them away. 

The road split in two, and in the dying light Shiro could see footsteps in the dust where others had made this decision before him. Most of the footsteps took the pathway to the right. After a moment Shiro saw why. There was a fallen section of rock to the right – it looked as if the dragon had clipped a wing flying low in that direction. Shiro started to go down that path but stopped after a minute. The last time he had been here, they had been marching to the sea for the King to inspect his newest fleet. In the march leading up to the sea, the pathway through the rock had been tight and narrow as the mountains pressed together. That was the pathway he would walk if he took to the right. There would be little space for a dragon to navigate that way and few places it could comfortably land. 

The march had gotten more pleasant as they got closer to the sea. There had been more space between the mountain peaks, and more space to see the sky. And caves, a whole network of tunnels and caves. The King’s forces had taken shelter in more than a few of them. As for the dragon, it had not been seen for several days. It must have found a hiding spot. Those caves could have provided it shelter. 

Shiro retraced his steps and started walking to the left. 

Darkness had almost fallen and he was about to set up his tent for the night when he discovered the body. It was so badly charred that he did not recognize what it was at first, but thought it to be an odd rock formation. It was only when he started to pitch the tent not too far away and he stumbled upon a sword that had been blackened by fire that Shiro realized the truth. He pitched his tent a respectful distance away, and, after he had made a fire for the night, laid stones over the body. The ground was not soft enough for a burial. 

Shiro did not know the man. He never would. But he knew that if he was not careful when it came to confronting this dragon, the two of them might share the same fate. 

 

 

He followed the dragon’s trail for two more days. He saw and heard evidence that there were others on the trail with him, but for the most part Shiro kept to himself and they mostly stayed clear of him. They all seemed human or Altean; there was no evidence that Shiro could see of any Galran activity. 

It was his fourth night in the mountains when he first heard the dragon. The hour was late: a reasonable man would have been asleep already. But not Shiro. He was lying in his makeshift bed with his eyes closed but mind racing when he heard the screech. If he had been further away, he might have thought it a falcon or some other kind of bird. But it was deeper and louder than any bird had any right to be. 

Shiro jumped up immediately and grabbed his pack. He started to walk in the direction of the scream. There was a small flash of red off in the horizon. It was far away but Shiro could guess. Fire. 

Then there was only silence.

The dragon, it seemed, had taken another victim. 

Shiro made a scruff in the dirt pointing in the direction of the cry. It was too dark to continue any more tonight. He returned to his tent and resolved to continue the quest in the morning. 

 

 

The next morning he searched for any trace of the dragon he had seen yesterday. It was the late afternoon before he finally found another badly charred section of rock. It was cold to the touch, but it had been almost a whole day since he had seen the fire on the horizon. Shiro breathed a small sigh of relief when even after searching through the char he still did not see any sign of a body. Perhaps the dragon had missed its target. The charred site was so large Shiro could easily have made camp there. He hoped that whoever or whatever had agitated the dragon had taken advantage of their luck and left this cursed place. 

The mouth of a cave was visible only a few feet away. Shiro gave it an apprehensive look. 

Perhaps the fire had been a warning. Was Shiro going to heed it? 

He took a tentative step inside the cave. It was dark inside, but it looked like the ground started to slope downwards before darkness consumed it. Shiro would need some additional light if he was going to head down there. He took a step back from the cave and looked up at the sky – there were a few hours left of the daylight, but it would not be light for that long. 

And what if he started to walk down and ran straight into a hungry dragon? 

Shiro frowned. He couldn’t hear anything right now stirring within the caves. It was a large animal, surely it would be making some kind of noise. But perhaps the cave went deeper than he expected. Or perhaps the dragon had taken to a different cave to hide. 

The sun bore down on him as he stood in silent contemplation. The dragon had been stirring yesterday at a very late hour. Maybe it was nocturnal? Allura had not said at what hour the Palace had been attacked. But it might explain why the only sign of a living dragon that Shiro had been able to witness was during the middle of the night. Perhaps the dragon was sleeping now, and he would be able to sneak into the cave and see it and the Prince it had captured. 

Shiro turned back to the entrance of the cave. The sight of the charred body came unbidden into his mind. Then he thought of the howl from the previous night. It would be best to treat this dragon with an abundance of caution. There was no point hastening towards a fiery end. Shiro walked away from the cave and started looking for a place to spend the night. After a little bit of searching, he found a secluded overhang that faced the cave. It was large enough to hide a man and not too difficult to reach, and as long as Shiro stayed there he could see whoever or whatever left that cave. 

As night fell, Shiro waited. It was cold but he did not want to make a fire. It would not be wise to do anything that could draw attention to his presence. But by the time he started fighting to keep his eyes open, he was sorely tempted to make a fire anyway, dragon be damned.

But just when his hands had started to fumble for tinder, the ground started to shake. Shiro crouched low. A landslide, maybe? But the strange rumbling continued, and Shiro realized there was a pattern to how the ground was shaking. 

What Shiro was hearing were footsteps. 

The dragon walked out of the cave slowly. It was as tall as the castle gates and every inch of it was covered with hard scales that glittered red in the light of the waning moon. It had a long, leathery neck and an even longer tail that slithered behind it. The tail had to be the width of a tree trunk, and it looked like it could lay ten men flat without so much of a second thought from its owner. The dragon was murder made flesh, and as he watched it Shiro felt a cold dread wash over him knowing that this was this beast who had taken the prince. 

The dragon took two steps forward from the cave, leaned down to look over the charred spot that Shiro had been inspecting not too long ago, and muttered, “Damn.” 

Shiro felt his brows knit together, even as his whole body was paralyzed with fright. Had the dragon just...talked?

“Well, at least he ran away,” the dragon continued, in a low voice that Shiro guessed meant it was talking to itself, “At least there don’t seem to be any more where he came from.” It craned its neck back and forth and after a second Shiro realized it was looking to see if there were anybody nearby. 

It was looking to see if anyone else was hunting it. 

It was looking to try to spot people like Shiro, who were trying to hunt it down. 

Despite everything, a sudden sense of shame filled him, even as he prayed to every Altean god that the dragon not see him. 

The dragon stood guard for a few more minutes and then returned back to its cave. Apparently it had been satisfied with its watch. Shiro waited a few more minutes but the world was very dark and very quiet. 

Shiro sat in quiet contemplation long into the night. Dragons had gone extinct a thousand years ago; no one knew very much about them nowadays. Perhaps all dragons talked. Perhaps only this dragon talked. Perhaps, Shiro thought, he could talk to this dragon and ask why it had attacked the castle. But that was ridiculous. More than ridiculous, dangerous. 

Before sleep finally overtook him, he vowed to go into the cave in the morning, rescue the Prince Keith, and put the whole dragon affair behind him as quickly as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

It was early in the afternoon the next day when Shiro made his way into the cave. He moved carefully, trying to keep his steps as quiet as possible. He had fashioned himself a simple torch but he shielded most of its light with his hands: even if he suspected the dragon was asleep, a small pinprick of light might wake it. With the light that the torch provided and now that he knew what the dragon looked like, he could see the evidence of the dragon everywhere in the cave. The sand and other debris had been shaped in long, sweeping motions from where the dragon’s tail had swept the cave floor. If Shiro looked carefully, he could even make out the odd clawed footprint that had not been swept up. He tried not to stare at those footprints too long, lest his mind start thinking about how big they were or how sharp the claw marks on them looked. 

There were all these signs that the dragon was hiding in this cave, but no signs of the dragon itself. Shiro kept straining to hear the rustle of wings, the shifting of scales, even just the sound of gigantic lungs exhaling in sleep. 

There was nothing. 

As he walked further and further into the cave, Shiro became so preoccupied listening for signs of the dragon that he forgot to look where he was going and nearly tripped over a body lying on the floor. 

He saw the body at the last minute and stopped walking. It took him a moment to catch his breath, after which he stopped and gave silent thanks to the gods that he hadn’t tripped and created a clatter that would wake the dragon. Then after another moment he saw the soft rise and fall of the person’s chest and realized they were sleeping and not dead. 

There was only one person that Shiro would have expected to find sleeping in a dragon’s lair, and it was the one person he was hoping to find. 

Shiro knelt beside the sleeping person to get a better look. Prince Keith had arrived at the castle right after Shiro’s injury had caused him to start his unhoped-for retirement, so he had only ever guessed at what the Galran prince and Altean ward would look like. Prince Keith looked more human than Galran, with pale skin and black hair that crept just past his not-particularly-pointed ears. He had very fine features, though, and Shiro caught himself staring for longer than necessary. He mentally chided himself. There was still a dragon in these caverns. Just because Shiro hadn’t found it yet didn’t mean that he had time to gawk at royalty. Shiro gave the Prince a gentle but firm nudge and then, when he did not stir, a second, slightly more forceful one. 

“Your highness,” Shiro muttered, “You must wake up. We have to leave.” 

A confused muttering greeted his words. The Prince opened his eyes slowly, looked up at Shiro and then blinked in confusion. 

“Who are you?” he asked, in a voice that betrayed confusion but no alarm. 

Shiro looked anxiously around the cave. They needed to make their escape quickly. “The Queen – your sister – Allura sent me to rescue you,” he explained as he put out his hand to help the Prince stand up. “We must go. The dragon could be back at any time.” 

The Prince Keith did not take his hand. He did not make any motion to stand. Instead his brow just furrowed in confusion. “The dragon?” he asked, as if Shiro was not quite talking sense. 

It occurred to Shiro that something about the voice sounded familiar. But that was impossible. He had never seen the Prince before, let alone hear him speak. 

“Yes, the one that kidnapped you,” he answered back tersely. 

To his surprise, Keith laughed. It was a loud laugh, one that was only amplified by the narrow confines of the cave. Shiro winced. 

“You’re here to save me from the dragon,” Keith repeated in disbelief. 

“Please, we have to get going --” 

“Has no one told you? Have you not figured it out? I can’t be saved from the dragon, because I am the dragon. It’s a curse. I turn into the dragon every night.” 

Shiro almost dropped his torch in bewilderment. 

It took Shiro hearing the story twice before he believed it. But as Prince Keith was making no motion to leave the cave and Shiro could not exactly leave him behind, there was nothing for Shiro to do but listen to the story. 

“It was the day before my 19th birthday. There had been all these plans for my coming-of-age celebration. I was at the castle that night. I had been asleep but I woke up suddenly during the night. It felt like – I don’t know, a sense of something crawling on my skin. I must have woken up just before midnight, because soon I heard the castle bells and I started to – well, I started to change. The whole castle just started shrinking. I was so confused. I didn’t know what to do. There was all this yelling. And I started to walk forward and I realized I was so big that I had just torn down a wall. I couldn’t do anything without making the situation worse. By then the arrows had started to fly and some kind of instinct kicked in, I guess. I started to fly. I flew further inland at first, but I knew I needed to find somewhere I could hide. I found the caves here just before dawn. And that was when I fell back to sleep. When I woke up, I was myself again.” 

Shiro frowned. “And then it happened again the next night?” 

The Prince nodded. He was looking at the ground as he spoke; since he had started telling the story it was like he could not bring himself to face Shiro. 

“I made the mistake of wandering outside. I thought it had been just a very strange night. Or some odd fluke of magic whose time was over. But it happened again. And this time I was further away, and there were people in the hills who had started to hunt me.” 

He grimaced. Shiro was quiet for a moment, but Keith did not speak again. 

Shiro thought of the body that he had discovered. He had been so sure that the dragon had killed a man simply because it could. He had never thought about what it might have been like if the dragon was confused, and hunted, and far from home. 

“It’s not your fault,” Shiro finally said. Prince Keith finally looked at him after he spoke those words. His eyes were bright with defiance. 

“It is,” he said, jutting out his chin. “I should have known.” 

“I don’t think there was any way you could have known that you would turn into a dragon every night.” 

Prince Keith gave a hollow laugh. “I figured it out after that night, and I figured out why. I had known there was a curse on me. I just didn’t take it seriously.” 

“Whatever it is,” Shiro said bracingly, “it’s nothing that the Queen Allura can’t fix. I’ve seen her and her father do some powerful Altean magic. If it a curse, they can heal it.” 

“They had five years to fix me!” the Prince spat out, “Nothing has worked.” 

Shiro was startled to hear such raw anger, and, in a slightly more conciliatory voice, he asked, “What do you mean, they couldn’t fix you?” 

“Before I went north, my father’s witch, Haggar, said something about a curse. I thought – well, I had no idea she meant it so literally.” 

Shiro did not mean to pry, but this story did not seem to make much sense to him. “The Imperial Witch said you would turn into a dragon every night once you turned nineteen?” 

“Nothing so obvious,” Prince Keith huffed. “Just, well, she said that if I did not find love by the time I came of age then I would meet misfortune.” 

At first Shiro thought he must have misheard. “Love?” 

“Yes,” the Prince snapped. “So King Alfor tried everything. He spent a year setting me up with every eligible noblewoman on the continent. Then he tried the same thing with the noblemen. Then when I had driven them all away, he told me that the true love was in family, even ones that were not my blood.” Prince Keith crossed his arms. “It was all a big lie of course. And clearly none of it worked, otherwise I wouldn’t be here right now and neither would you. So when you say that you think Allura is going to help, I’m telling you that her father already tried everything.” 

“Even if that’s true, I can’t exactly leave you here,” Shiro said. “This is a cave. You’re a prince. You deserve to live somewhere nicer than here.” 

Keith looked unconvinced. “I can’t go back to the castle.” 

“There are people out there looking for you. If you stay here, someone will find you eventually. And they might find you after sunset, and get the wrong idea.” 

Keith’s expression turned pained. “I know. Can’t you just tell everyone I died or something? Then they will stop looking for me.” 

Shiro sighed. “Prince Lotor has pledged to look for you.” He explained about the marriage proposal and watched as the color drained from the prince’s face. 

“You’re saying two realms are looking for me?” the Prince asked, his voice hollow. 

Shiro felt a pang of sympathy. “Yes. I know it doesn’t seem like there are any good options, but you can’t keep hiding here.” 

Reluctantly, the Prince nodded. He sat in quiet contemplation for a moment. Shiro just looked up and down the caves. It was a dark, cold place. The Prince had really waited here all this time rather than be seen as a dragon? But, remembering the men who had been searching, Shiro had to admit the Prince might not have had many options. 

“Haggar knew about the curse,” the Prince said quietly, as Shiro turned his attention back to him. “Maybe she’ll have an idea for how it could be broken. I just need to figure out a way to get to her so that I can ask her.” 

“I’ll go with you,” Shiro volunteered quickly. The Prince looked like he was about to protest, but Shiro added, “I promised your sister, the Queen, that I would see you delivered safe from harm. And I know the way to the Galran Empire. I can be your guide.” 

Keith started to smile. It was a sharp, humorless smile. 

“You know the way to the Empire by foot, but what about by air? Because that was how I intended to go.” 

 

 

They rested a few hours on the Prince’s insistence and then spent the rest of the evening discussing how they would get Prince Keith out of Altea and into the Galran Imperial Palace. When it was almost sundown, Keith walked deeper into the caves and instructed Shiro not to follow him. Whatever the transformation process, it only took about a minute. A few tendrils of red smoke floated past Shiro, and then he felt the ground shake in a pattern that he knew by now to be footsteps. When the dragon reappeared, it was difficult not to recoil at first. It was still a huge beast with razor sharp teeth. But the more he looked, the more familiar the dragon seemed. Something about its gait had the Prince’s impatience and despite himself Shiro smiled. 

“I’m not sure this is going to be the best way to travel,” the dragon muttered. His voice sounded deeper in timbre in this form but it was still unmistakably the Prince. And what he was talking about was their plan for getting out of the caves: Shiro was going to ride on the Prince’s back. It was not like Shiro could keep up with the dragon on foot. And Shiro had strenuously objected to flying through the air in Keith’s grip. That left only one option. 

It was difficult to tell which of them was less enthused about the prospect. 

“There are legends of people who used to ride on the backs of dragons,” Shiro said, as reassurance both for the Prince and himself. 

“I hope legend keeps your grip secure,” the dragon replied, even as he laid his head down to the ground. After a few failed attempts to climb on the dragon’s neck that had Shiro apologizing profusely and the Prince Keith sighing in resignation, Shiro finally found a comfortable place to rest in the crook where wing met shoulder. His hand struggled to find much purchase against the hard surface of the scales. 

“Are you ready?” the dragon asked. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Shiro responded truthfully. 

The huff that the Prince Keith made sounded amused. It caused traces of fire to appear by the side of his mouth. 

“I’ll fly low to start with,” the Prince said. “I haven’t flown that much since I first transformed, so I might need some time to adjust as well.” 

If that was meant to be a reassuring statement, Shiro was not reassured. 

The dragon started to walk forward towards the mouth of the tunnel, and Shiro lurched forward in his seat. After the initial shock of what he was doing wore off, however, he realized it wasn’t such a bad ride. The forwards-and-backwards motion was actually slightly familiar. 

“Just like riding a horse,” he said, as they stepped out of the cave and into the night air. 

In response, the Prince Keith raised his wings and then brought them down with enough force to get airborne. He kept flapping them as they rose higher and higher into the sky. Shiro was thrown forward and grabbed at the side of the dragon’s neck. 

“Still think it’s like a horse?” he heard the Prince ask. 

“A little different,” Shiro conceded. His gaze slid downward; when he saw the distance to the ground, he regretted it. Instead he forced himself to keep his eyes trained forwards. 

The dragon’s chest lifted and fell in what it took Shiro a moment to recognize as laughter. It sounded more like an evil omen than a sign of amusement, but perhaps that was just how Shiro felt being so high above the ground. 

“This is your last chance,” the Prince said. “I can let you off here and fly for the Galran Empire myself.” 

Shiro tightened his grip. “I made your sister a promise.” 

The Prince made a noise of acknowledgment, and that was when he really started to fly. Shiro felt the wind rushing against his face and through his hair. He leaned back on his haunches to brace himself against the sheer force of the wind. No wonder the Prince had wanted to fly. The speed at which they were going could not have been matched on land, even if they had had two good horses. 

Shiro tried hard to make himself think of that as a good thing. 

They flew a few hours without talking. The wind was whipping by so hard it would have been hard for Shiro to find a breath to say anything even if he had wanted to. It was the Prince who spoke first. 

“It will be morning soon,” he said. “I can feel it.” 

He had already started to dip while flying. In a panic Shiro forced himself to look down at the ground. In the distance he could make out a forest. Based on the distance they had travelled, it was probably the Balmuran forest. 

“Can you fly into the trees?” Shiro asked. “I know that forest. It can provide some cover for you to transform back.” 

The Prince Keith nodded in what Shiro hoped was agreement and not fatigue. He started to descend, and the wind from his wings thrashed the branches to and fro. The first peak of sun crept over the horizon just as the dragon’s claws touched the ground, and then Shiro fell abruptly to the ground as the dragon underneath him simply fell away in a flash of red smoke. In its place, the Prince was laying on the ground. He appeared to be sleeping. 

Probably the flight had worn him past the point of exhaustion. Shiro leaned down and lifted the Prince over his shoulder. He took a moment to look at his surroundings. A few yards behind them was a road. There was no one there now but in a few hours it would have its fair share of travelers. In front of them was the forest. It looked like a storm had hit the edge of the forest: branches had snapped and been thrown every which way. It was not a good place to make camp. 

Shiro started to walk into the forest. The sleeping prince made a small noise of complaint at having been moved, but he did not wake. Shiro kept walking until they reached a small brook. He could feel his own strength leaving him. He barely had enough energy left to pitch his tent, and only when it was done did he realize that it could only fit one person. With a small grunt, he managed to place the prince gingerly inside and wrapped the lone blanket around him.

Sleep took Shiro not too long after that. He had found a nice tree to lean against and if he had been able to stay awake, it might have been a good post from which to guard their camp – but a night of flying had drained his muscles and his eyelids lost their fight to stay open. 

A few hours must have passed by the time the Prince finally shook him awake, because when he came to the birds were singing and the sun was already high in the sky. 

“We might want to move camp,” the Prince said quietly. “I went for a walk just now and I saw that a few people had gathered to gawk at those felled branches from last night. No one has gone far enough into the forest to find us, but it is only a matter of time.” 

Shiro was instantly alert. “Do they know what caused the damage? Do they know it was a dragon?” 

The Prince shrugged in response. “I don’t know. But if news of my mysterious disappearance has already spread beyond the Palace to wherever we are, it won’t take long for people to work out what it was.” 

“I know where we are,” Shiro said. “There is a town on the northern border of this forest. We’ll grab a few provisions and then we can fly out of here again.” 

“You really are going to be my guide after all,” the Prince said, with a smile that didn’t quite make it to his eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

It took them less than an hour to make it to the town, but it felt like longer. It was not helped by the fact that every traveller they passed raised their eyebrows at the Prince Keith’s clothing. 

Whatever supernatural laws governed magical transformations, it had at least kept the Prince’s clothes intact. Unfortunately, he was still wearing the clothes that he had been wearing when he first transformed, and a few days hiding in the caves had turned them filthy. 

“We’ve been traveling for a while now,” the Prince Keith said, to the first traveler who actually asked about what had happened. He gave an apologetic smile. “And these clothes did not do so well on the road.” 

The traveler, a man of middle age, turned to give Shiro an affronted look. “You really should have taught your page better!” 

“I --” Shiro could only stutter in response. The Prince, his page? He had to admit it was a good cover story for why the two of them were on the road. But even with his dirty clothes, the Prince looked like royalty. Or at least he did to Shiro. And besides, while Shiro may once have been a knight, anyone who looked closely at his hands could see that he had no future in warfare. It would be quite the fall from grace to go from being a prince to being Shiro’s page. He doubted the Prince Keith would agree to such a demotion, even as a disguise. 

 

“It was my fault,” the Prince demurred. “He warned me but I didn’t listen.” 

That seemed to satisfy the man, who gave Shiro a sharp looking over. “Next time, try harder,” was all he said. Shiro gave a faint nod. He couldn’t think of anything to say; it was all he could do to keep his mouth from hanging open. 

The man nudged his horse forward and had soon disappeared from their sight altogether. They kept walking. After a few minutes it was the Prince who finally spoke. “I do think me being your page is a good cover story.” 

“Have you ever been a page?” Shiro asked. 

The question caused Prince Keith’s expression to sour. “Unfortunately,” he answered. “King Alfor tried, but I never made a particularly good page. I was always getting yelled at for something or other.” 

“That doesn’t sound like you were a bad page,” Shiro responded. “That just sounds like the life of any page.” 

“You were a page?” 

“For the king,” Shiro answered. “Before the war. I was very lucky. The King owed my father a debt of gratitude for service earlier, and so that was why he chose me. It was an unbelievable honor.” 

“You were probably a good page,” the Prince said with a sigh. “It probably came easily to you.” 

Shiro shook his head. “Not at all. It took years to knock any sense into me. But I kept trying, and eventually the King made me a squire. When the war started, I became a knight.” He gave a brief smile. “It didn’t last long. But – if your majesty had more time as a page, I’m sure you would have liked it more.” 

The Prince made a sour expression. “Don’t call me that. Just – Keith. That’s how Allura always talked to me.” 

“She was a princess, and is now the queen,” Shiro felt compelled to point out. 

“Yes, but I’m your page,” the Prince – Keith – said, with a wicked smile. “Most pages aren’t called ‘your majesty’ by their knights.” 

Shiro laughed. “Fine,” he said, “I won’t call you that. Are you sure you want to be a page again, even just as a disguise? It seemed frustrating.” 

Keith sighed. The smile had faded from his face. “I’d rather be a page than a prince who keeps transforming into a dragon.” Shiro did not know how to reply to that, and they walked further in silence. 

 

 

Keith bought a change of clothes at the village and, at Shiro’s insistence, paid for a bath as well. 

“We don’t have that much time until sunset,” he sulked, although Shiro could see how his gaze lingered on the entrance of the bathing house.

“I’ll need the time to get us some more food,” he said. “What the Queen gave us won’t feed two people for much longer. So we’ll have to stay in town for at least a little bit. Might as well take advantage of the time.” 

Finally, after a long moment, Keith nodded. Shiro watched him enter the bathing house with a smile. Then he turned his attention back to the town square and began searching for anyone with provisions to sell. 

The first merchant that he talked to was friendly enough, but the woman really started to smile when she saw the sword that Shiro had at his side. “You must be another one of those treasure hunters, eh?”

Trying to keep his expression neutral, Shiro asked, “What do you mean?” 

“There’s already been one or two, although I’m expecting more. Everyone is after that damn dragon. It’s been spotted around here, you know. And they say the Queen has a royal ransom for anyone who can deliver her the dragon’s head.” 

It felt like the ground had given way under Shiro’s feet. He was quiet for a moment while he tried to gather his voice. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he finally said. “Dragons aren’t real.” 

To his own ears, his voice had sounded weak, but the woman appeared not to notice. “I am being serious!” she protested. “It’s all everyone’s been talking about. We got the news two days ago that the Galran prince had been captured out of the castle by a dragon. And then just last night there were all these destroyed branches in the forest. And some people even saw claw marks!” Her voice took on a wounded pride. “Thought a traveller like yourself would have heard about it by now. You can go out to the forest and see it for yourself, plain as day.” 

“So this forest – people think the dragon is hiding in the forest? With the Prince?” 

“Well, see, no one knows where the dragon is. You answer that question and you can make yourself a rich man.” 

Shiro motioned to the bushel of apples closest to him. “I’ll take one of those apples first. And I’d rather stay alive rather than die trying to get rich.” 

The rest of the negotiations went quickly. Shiro probably paid more for the fares than he would have liked, but his mind had more pressing concerns.

They had already been discovered. They could not afford to be discovered again. The last few times that Keith had taken to the air, he had been spotted. Flying was the fastest way to reach the border of the Galran Empire, but it might prove the costliest. 

After he had paid for enough food to keep them both fed for a week, Shiro asked, “Who here has horses to sell?” 

He returned to the bath house with two mares in tow. It had taken longer than expected and Keith was waiting for him by the entrance. At first Shiro thought some of the hard lines on his face had been softened by the bath, but they all came back when he saw the horses. 

“Didn’t think we were going to need those,” he said. 

Shiro looked around. There was no one close by, but it was still a public location. He could not risk talking openly about flying here. “I heard talk about a dragon,” he blurted out. “Landed in the forest.” 

It was not what he wanted to say. What he wanted to say was: I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you’ve been chased. And that we are being chased even here and now. 

A flicker of anger passed over Keith’s face, and with it Shiro thought he might have seen a glimpse of pain. But it was only there for a moment: weary resolve replaced it quickly. “We should get going, then,” he said, grabbing one of the reins of the horses. 

They started riding south on the main road; the town, other travelers, and the patch of destroyed forest all fell away behind them. It was getting late. They did not have much time before sundown. 

“We’ll have to find someplace secluded soon,” Keith said. He gave a long sigh. “I had hoped not to have to hide like that again.” 

“Flying is better,” Shiro agreed, “but too dangerous. Everyone is going to be watching the sky if they know a dragon has been here.” 

“I know,” Keith said. “Although I’m sure you’re happy to stay on the ground.” 

He probably had not meant it to sound so much like an accusation. “I liked flying,” Shiro protested. When Keith’s expression turned incredulous, Shiro added, “I admit it was terrifying at first. But I am telling the truth. There is really nothing else like it.” 

Keith looked thoughtful, and then after a moment he smiled. “I guess you’re right. Maybe if we can avoid detection for long enough, we can risk flying again.” 

Shiro had his doubts, but he had no heart to raise them. Something about that smile made Shiro want to see it stay.

 

 

It was Keith who first gestured for the forest. “I think we should prepare for the night.” 

Shiro looked at the sky and then at the road. “We still have a few more minutes before sundown, and we’ve been making good time on the road. There is still a long journey ahead. Are you sure you want to rest now?” 

“I need enough time to get away from the horses,” Keith explained. “I’ve seen how animals react to me when I’ve transformed. These two will bolt.” 

Shiro had not considered that possibility. He nodded, impressed that Keith had so clearly given thought to the situation. Then he gave a second look to Keith and saw how firmly his brow had set and the tension that lay on the beleaguered prince’s shoulders and Shiro had to correct himself. It was not that the Prince had thought of the situation; the situation was weighting on him, and it was weighting heavily. 

“We’ll be fine,” Shiro said. It felt like an odd time for platitudes, given how many hours they had passed on the road undisturbed, but Keith still laughed bitterly.

“Tell me that after the sun has gone down.” 

 

 

They made their way into the forest. Keith helped tie up his horse, but as soon as he was confident the knots would hold, he took off running into the woods. Shiro was left standing alone with his own thoughts as the last rays of light wafted through the leaves. 

It took several minutes and Keith was long out of sight but there was no mistaking when the transformation happened. All of a sudden a flock of birds took off from the forest in all directions. The horses perked up their ears, and Keith’s horse reared in apprehension. Shiro whispered empty reassurances into her ear and patted her until she calmed down. All the while Shiro looked around the forest for any sign of people. Had anyone noticed this sudden disturbance in the forest? But after the birds had flown away, the world was quiet. 

It was getting dark. Hopefully anyone nearby would wait until the morning to explore this section of the forest, in which case Shiro and Keith would have already started again on the road south. 

Shiro waited a few minutes more. There was not a lot of time left before the last traces of sunset were gone. Shiro had gathered his supplies for the night, but he had yet to make a fire. He kept dawdling when it came to the task. He made excuse after excuse, but as the shadows started to blend in with the night Shiro realized the truth: he wanted to see Keith again tonight. After double-checking that the horses would be alright, he fashioned himself a torch, and started walking deeper into the woods. 

It was not hard to locate a dragon, even a dragon trying very hard not to be found. 

Keith had found a clearing in which to transform and was lying low to the ground with his head resting atop his claws. Despite the sheer size of the dragon, or the sharpness of its claws and teeth, Shiro couldn’t shake the impression of a cat. 

“You should be guarding the horses,” Keith’s voice vibrated against the ground. Shiro nodded in agreement, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off Keith. Even in the little light that he had, he could see the stubborn thrust of Keith’s chin in the dragon’s chin now, or the prince’s glower in those huge gray irises that looked at him. 

“You’re better conversation than horses,” Shiro replied. He knew it was an irresponsible decision. Those horses were carrying important supplies. Thieves and predators and worse could be lurking in the forest. 

But still Shiro had gone looking for Keith. 

The closest branches swayed up and down as Keith laughed. 

“Maybe,” he said, almost reluctantly. “Although only barely. A horse probably looks less terrifying than me.” 

“I don’t know about that,” Shiro smiled. “When I was learning how to ride, a horse threw me. It seemed plenty terrifying at the moment.” 

That drew another laugh, but then Keith gave a slow deliberate yawn that showed every tooth. Each tooth was as wide as Shiro’s forearm. Shiro could probably have walked right into that mouth and been swallowed whole. 

It had been terrifying only a day or two ago. But Shiro knew Keith – or at least, felt like he was starting to know him. And he found those teeth didn’t scare him at all anymore.

“Those teeth seem like they would be useful in a fight. You said you were going to ask the Imperial Witch to break the curse, but does that mean you’ll never become a dragon again?” 

The motion that Keith made was probably meant to be a shrug. It was difficult to tell with a dragon. Before Shiro could say anything else, Keith had asked, “What about you?” 

Shiro frowned. “What do you mean?” 

“I mean – let us say that we get over the border and meet with Haggar. Maybe she even cures me. What happens to you?” 

“I hadn’t thought that far ahead,” Shiro admitted. He blinked a few times in surprise. “I suppose I’ll tell the Queen Allura that you are safe, and that the Prince Lotor has no claim on her hand.” 

“And after that?” 

This time it was Shiro’s turn to shrug. “I have the land that King Alfor granted me after my service with him ended. I suppose I will go back to that.” 

“Is there anyone waiting for you there?” There was a sound of something in Keith’s voice when he asked the question that Shiro could not quite place. Of course Keith sounded different in this form. It might have just been in Shiro’s imagination. 

Either way, he shook his head at the question. He started to smile, amused at the thought of a prince and heir to the Galran throne taking an interest in his uneventful life on a farm. But the smile did not last long on his lips. “When the King was still alive, he asked me if I wanted anyone to help me tend the land. But of course I was too proud to accept the offer. So it is only me.” 

“That sounds like it could get lonely.” 

“I have only myself to blame,” Shiro replied. He could not deny the truth of Keith’s words, not really, but it would have been ungrateful to agree. “The King was generous. I cannot complain.” 

Keith was quiet for a minute before he said, “Alfor was very generous with me.” There was no missing the rueful tone to his voice, regardless of the form in which he was now speaking. “When he was alive, the King was always offering me this or that. I suspect he thought it might break the curse.” 

“And none of it worked,” Shiro supplied the truth that Keith was leaving unsaid. 

Keith nodded. “I think that Alfor was a very generous man, but that did not mean he always knew the right thing to give.” Shiro did not know what to say to that, and for a moment they were both quiet. Then Keith said, “I think one day I would like to see your farm, Shiro.” 

Shiro smiled. “It will be a disappointment. It is a small thing, and not well taken care of.” 

“Still,” Keith replied. Something that might have been a smile crept across Keith’s face. “I would like to go, although hopefully not as a dragon.” 

“You’re welcome to come as a dragon, too.” 

A huff of amusement that caused fire to curl around Keith’s mouth greeted Shiro’s words. “A dragon makes a terrible guest. But there is this to be said about dragons, Shiro.” 

“What?” 

“They have no need for guards. Go back to the horses, they need you tonight.” 

Shiro knew that Keith was right, and he nodded before he turned back to the campsite he had already prepared for the night. He did not ask the question that weighed down his tongue. 

A dragon might not need Shiro to stay with him through the night, but what about a lost Galran prince?


	5. Chapter 5

They walked a few more days, making sure never to stray too far from the forest and the cover it could provide at night. No would-be dragon hunters disturbed them, and Shiro could see with each day that Keith seemed to relax more and more. Shiro wished he could say the same for him, but the closer they got to the border the more his anxieties increased. But that was no fault of the border. Instead, it just seemed the more time he spent with Keith, the more his mind was full of Keith, and it seemed impossible not to worry about that. 

It was a pleasant surprise amidst all those worries when the road they were on led to a bridge that crossed a small river that Shiro remembered. It took him a moment to remember _why_ the riverbanks seemed so familiar, and then he let out a sharp laugh. 

“They built a real bridge here!” he exclaimed, to Keith’s confusion. “This was little more than a collection of sticks when I was last here. Zarkon had burned down the old bridge, and the King had to build our replacement in haste.” He let the memories slowly come back to him. “There’s a town not too far south from this river. I imagine they must have rebuilt it over these past few years.” 

Keith did not share in his enthusiasm, and he frowned as Shiro spoke. “The war came to this town. So it must not be too far from the Galran border.” 

Shiro nodded. “Yes, this is the further north that Zarkon’s forces were ever able to reach.” 

“So if we keep on this road, how many days until we get to the Palace?” 

Keith had leaned forward on his horse. There was a clear impatience in him. Shiro had to take a moment to consider. “I would say probably six days more, depending on our pace. We might cover less ground in a day the closer we get to the Imperial Palace. It will be harder to stay hidden.” 

A few thoughts on the matter had occurred to Shiro, but he kept them to himself. 

“You’re not just talking about places to hide while I transform, are you?” Keith asked in a flat voice. Shiro shook his head but said no more. It didn’t matter; Keith had figured out the situation for himself. “You’re concerned about my half-brother.” 

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say concerned,” Shiro started. 

“I would,” Keith replied, with a huff that Shiro had seen so many times at night that he half expected flames to come out of the side of Keith’s mouth. “I haven’t seen any trace of Lotor so far, and from your silence right now I suspect you didn’t catch any sight of him before you found me either. He could still be making his way north. He might be on this very road, and if he and his men happen to stumble on us after the sun has gone down, they’re not going to wait to hear the story of my curse before they attack.” 

Shiro could only nod helplessly. Tentatively, he added, “There is also the issue of scouts.” Keith looked confused, so he added, “Even if we do not run into Prince Lotor or his men themselves, I cannot imagine that the Emperor Zarkon have not sent out others to report to him what is happening. We have been lucky so far not to see any scouts on the road. As we travel further south, I doubt our luck will hold.” When Keith let out a frustrated sigh, Shiro continued, “If we are able to get further south, we might be able to get a message to the Witch Haggar and explain the situation.” 

“So long as we can deliver this message during the day,” Keith noted bitterly. Shiro nodded. 

“Well, I suppose there’s nothing to be done now, except ride,” Keith shrugged. “Do we need to stop for supplies here?” 

“If we are lucky on our ride and smart about what we buy now, we can make sure that we have enough supplies for the rest of our journey to the Imperial Palace.” 

_The rest of our journey._ The words seemed to reassure Keith somewhat, but they sounded strange to Shiro’s ears. Was their time together already coming to an end? A few more days and they might be talking to the Witch Haggar. A few more weeks and he might be able to give Allura the good news about the Prince that she loved like a brother. A few months and Shiro would be back to his old life on the farm. 

The thought should have been comforting, but he knew it was not. 

 

 

It did not take them long to gather supplies in town. That was perhaps for the best. Keith tried to bargain for a few goods, but his impatience quickly got the better of him, and after a negotiation for some flint became too heated, Shiro suggested that Keith spend some time in the local tavern and let Shiro purchase what they needed. A little under an hour later and they were ready to ride south once more. Keith seemed at least somewhat more calm, if not quite happy. 

They had been on the main road for about an hour before Shiro became aware that a rider was behind them. That would perhaps not be so unusual, but it was a Galran rider, and Shiro noticed as they walked the woman kept a consistent pace: far enough behind them that they would not be tempted to hail her but not so far away that she would lose sight of them. 

Staring straight ahead, Keith asked, “Do you see that woman behind us?” Shiro nodded. “Do you think it is just another traveller, or should we be concerned?” 

Nothing about the appearance of the rider should have been suspicious. But there was a precision to his pace that made the hair on the back of Shiro’s neck rise.

“I don’t know if it is a Galran scout,” Shiro conceded. “But it is a possibility.” 

Keith looked concerned for a moment and then asked, “Do you have a recommendation?” 

“Regardless of whether or not she is following us, we should not give any indication that we’ve spotted her. There appears to be a field ahead of us. We’ll stop by the side of the road and dine for a few minutes. If she passes us, then we have our answer.” 

Shiro saw how Keith’s jaw clenched and unclenched. “And if she does not?” 

The sun had already started its descent. They had a few hours left, but nightfall was coming for them. That did not leave them many options. Shiro sighed. “Then we need to lose her while we still have a chance.” 

Keith nodded briskly. They walked a little further but stopped when they reached the open field. A nice brook ran through the middle of it. The two of them led their horses to the water and dismounted while the horses drank. They broke bread and tore into their last wheel of cheese, but neither of them had much of an appetite. 

So they ate and waited. And waited some more. 

The rider had stopped behind them. 

“It might be a coincidence,” Shiro said, without much confidence. 

Keith stood up and walked towards the horses. He grabbed the reins of his horse and then mounted it, and then gave a nod at Shiro to do the same. Shiro couldn’t help but feel uneasily as he slipped back into the saddle. Stealing a glance at the road behind them, he saw the strange rider’s horse trotting forwards and backwards. Perhaps it was picking up the impatience of its rider. 

“Do you see those trees, off in the horizon?” Keith said. Shiro turned around to see him pointing with his chin to a distant stripe of green. “Well, it’ll be quite the coincidence if she tries to follow us through those woods.” 

Then as Shiro watched, Keith gave a kick to his horse’s flank and set the mare galloping. A half-second and then Shiro was following behind him. For a minute there was nothing but the sound of two sets of hooves and the rush of wind against their faces. The trees grew larger in the distance. 

And then there was the sound of another pair of hooves, and Shiro knew the rider had started to chase them. 

He turned around to look. They had the virtue of a good head start, but the rider had a better horse: she was rapidly gaining ground. 

“Do you have a plan?” Shiro called out to Keith. 

“Yes,” Keith laughed. “It’s called ‘keep up’.” And then he dug his heels in further. 

It had been a long time since Shiro had let a horse run like this over such rough terrain and the doubts in his mind multiplied. The horses they were riding were pack animals, not ones bred to outrun an opponent. Shiro did not know the woods they were running towards, and he doubted Keith did either. The last time Shiro had raced a horse like this, he had been holding the reins with two hands. 

But if he was tempted to shout out a word of caution, he knew that Keith would not listen. And if he were being honest with himself, some part of himself didn’t want to listen either.

A few minutes more and they entered the woods. No sooner were they under the shade of the trees than Keith made a sharp turn to the right. They jumped over fallen logs. They ducked under low branches. At one point Keith even had them ford through a shallow brook. It was a demanding, curving route. Shiro gave up trying to predict where the prince would go next and instead focused all his thoughts on keeping up. Slowly all the doubts he had been harboring started to fall away as the world narrowed and it was just Shiro; his horse; and the mad, wonderful prince riding in front of him. 

And then all too suddenly Keith stopped, and Shiro reined in his horse sharply. 

“Do you think she’s gone?” Keith whispered. 

“Let’s walk a little further and listen for her,” Shiro whispered back. They led the horses through the woods as quietly as possible. The brook they had passed gurgled faintly in the distance. A lone bird cried out. But otherwise the world was quiet. 

“I think we’ve lost her. It was probably a scout, she’ll probably report back to Zarkon –” Shiro started, but Keith wasn’t listening. He was looking up through the thick branches of the tree canopy. Shiro let his eyes follow. It was impossible to see the sky. Sunlight filtered unevenly through the branches. 

How long had they been running for? 

“I have to go,” Keith said, as he climbed down from his horse. Once he was on the ground, he threw the reins to Shiro. “Make sure the horses are tied up.” 

“How long until –?” Shiro called out, but Keith had already slipped deeper into the woods. 

Shiro tried to dismount too. He had to let go of the reins of Keith’s horse to do so, and he did so while keeping a careful watch on the mare. She had started to toss her head nervously. 

“Easy,” Shiro said, grabbing her reins and draping them over a nearby branch as he guided his own horse to the closest tree and started to tie the reins around the trunk. 

Was it his imagination, or had the light started to change? The faint light that filtered in to the woods no longer seemed the yellow light of the midday sun, but instead the reds and oranges of the sunset. There was no sign of Keith nearby. 

Shiro gave an extra tug on the ropes of his own mare to make sure the rein was properly secured. He reached for the reins of Keith’s horse, but just as he got closer she got on her back legs and gave a startled whinny. The light was fading. The mare had probably smelled the change. 

Shiro grabbed at the reins, but they slipped out of his hand. He raced after the mare but she was faster. 

It took only a minute but the horse was gone. And with her left all the provisions that Keith had been carrying. 

 

 

Shiro spent the next few minutes calming his own horse down and trying to assess just how much they had lost. The tent and most of the Queen’s gold had been in Shiro’s pack. They would have to stock up again sooner than expected – and their pace would be slowed down by only having one horse between the two of them – but this loss was not a calamity. He had to let Keith know. He checked and rechecked the reins instead. Some part of himself did not want to let Keith know, even though the prince deserved to know, even though it was the right thing to do. Finally, when he could no longer convince himself that any work remained to prepare the campsite, he headed off into the woods in the direction that Keith had ran. 

It did not take long to find Keith, who raised his head as Shiro approached. 

Shiro was quiet for a moment as he tried to think of the best way to start the sentence when Keith said, “You look upset.” 

“Your horse ran away,” Shiro said, plainly. “I couldn’t get her tied up in time.” 

All at once Keith was on his feet and he spread his wings out as far as they would go. There was not much room for them in this dense a forest, but the movement was enough to shake some tree branches. He shook his head and released a breath of fire that burned bright against the dark air. 

“This is all my fault,” he said, “I didn’t get far enough away --” 

“No,” Shiro interjected. “This is my fault, if I’d been able to handle the two horses at the same time like I used to --”

But Keith wasn’t listening. “Now we’re going to have to get a new horse. It’s going to take too long, and we’ve already attracted unwanted attention --” 

“There are villages close by, we can always trade --” Shiro started but Keith was not going to let him stop. 

“No,” Keith snapped. “Get out of here!” Shiro took a step back, momentarily stunned. “Just get out,” Keith repeated. “Whatever gold you’re hoping Allura will give you, it’s not worth this.” 

“This isn’t about gold.” 

The denial just made Keith toss his head in anger. “Then, what is it about? The satisfaction of telling my sister you helped? Alfor’s legacy? Surely by now you must have realized. Whatever the reason, I’m more trouble than it’s worth. I always have been.” 

Shiro planted his feet a little more firmly into the ground. “That’s not true.” 

“If it’s not, then why would I still be cursed?” Keith snapped back. “The cure is supposed to be simple enough.” He sneered. “Love. Someone to love me. That’s it! And five years later, here I am.” 

“That’s not true,” Shiro repeated to himself. Keith was clenching and unclenching his hands. The talons had ripped up the ground underneath. They were dangerous, deadly things; they could easily crush rocks. They could easily crush Shiro. 

And yet Shiro stood his ground. 

“Are you suddenly an expert in curses?” Keith asked. His voice was low. Dangerous. 

“I don’t know anything about curses or cures or anything like that. The only one who would know anything about that is Haggar, and she’s not here to ask. But I don’t think the cure is as simple as being loved. Allura loves you. I --” 

_I love you._

Shiro could not bring himself to complete the sentence. It had only been what, a handful of days since he had met Keith? It would not do to go pledging his love to every wayward royal that he met. Even ones that rode well and worked hard and should never have been given the burdens with which they were shouldered. 

Instead, he said, “I’m not doing this for Queen Allura. Or for King Alfor. Not anymore.” 

Keith tilted his head with a suspicious glint in his eye. “Then why are you doing it?” 

“I want to help you.” 

The words came out all choked. Keith gave a sputtering laugh that had embers falling from his mouth. “Look at me. I’m a monster who scared away our horse. I have probably scared away half this forest. Nothing will harm me in this form. Nothing _can_ harm me. I don’t need help.” 

“I know you don’t need it,” Shiro insisted. “I know you can handle yourself. You told me to leave, and if you still want me to leave I will gladly take my supplies and head back to my farm. But I want to help.” It felt like he _needed_ to help, not for Keith’s sake but for his own. When Keith’s confused expression did not change, Shiro continued, “Since I lost my hand, I haven’t known what to do with myself. I’m a young man, I’m not supposed to be idling away the rest of my days in a forced retirement out in the country. But I’m not a knight anymore either. Looking for you and then helping get you across the border and to the Imperial Palace – it has helped give me that purpose that I was lacking. So please – I’m asking you. Please don’t send me away.” 

Keith laid his head back on his hands and let out a sigh. “I didn’t mean it. I was just angry. I didn’t really want you to go.” 

“You were angry,” Shiro agreed, trying hard not to show how relieved he felt. “It’s been a long day. We’ll head out in the morning for supplies. Until then, I should probably head back to the horses. The horse.” 

He made no motion to turn back towards the campsite. 

It was hard to see the expression that Keith was giving him when there was only a sliver of the moon in the sky to see by. But still, Shiro waited for him to say something. 

“You could always build a fire here,” Keith finally said, and he spoke so softly Shiro could have mistaken the words for his human voice. 

“It would be irresponsible to leave the horse behind.” 

“It would.” 

“I don’t want to leave you,” Shiro said. Not tonight, not during this journey. They would find Hagar and she would cure Keith and he could return to Altea, and then maybe Shiro would have to leave. His duty would have been fulfilled. But he thought he probably wouldn’t want to leave, even then. That would be up for Keith to decide. 

“I don’t want you to go either. Stay the night.” 

Shiro did. He did not make a fire: he leaned against one of Keith’s haunches. It was a surprisingly warm place to spend the night, and he was asleep before he knew it.


	6. Chapter 6

By the time Shiro woke up, light had started filtering through the tree branches and he and Keith were lying together in a tangle of limbs. Shiro made a motion to stand and ended up waking Keith, who blinked tiredly in the light. 

Despite the bags under his eyes, Keith had a small smile on his lips. Shiro’s eyes lingered over those lips. He knew that he wanted to kiss Keith. He had known for a few days. It didn’t make the thought any less dangerous. Keith was a prince. Even if he was spending his days hiding in caves and forest, his future would be in leading his army and ascending to the Galran throne. Shiro had a small plot of land to his name and it was to there that he would eventually return after this adventure was done. 

“You stayed the night,” Keith said, and there was a raw ache in his voice that hurt Shiro to hear. 

“Of course I did,” Shiro responded quickly. “You wanted me to stay.” 

“I wanted very much for you to stay,” Keith agreed, and he reached a hand to touch Shiro’s arm as if he could not quite believe it was real. “Do you believe in true love’s kiss, Shiro?” 

Shiro opened his mouth but no words came to him. He was aware that his cheeks were burning. After a second, he realized he must look like an idiot, and he shut his mouth abruptly. All the while that small smile never left Keith’s lips. 

“King Alfor believed a kiss might cure me, and he encouraged me to kiss a few people to see if it would work. I gave up believing in it, after a while.” 

Keith had started to stand. Shiro followed, although his feet felt suddenly a little unsteady. 

“I think it’s a shame,” Keith said, as he started to walk towards the campsite. Shiro followed in a half-daze. “You almost make me want to believe in it again.” 

It was a minute before Shiro finally found the voice to say, “It’s never too late to change your mind.” 

Keith stopped abruptly. For a minute Shiro half-hoped he had heeded Shiro’s words. But then he took another step and understood. 

A small group of Galran soldiers were waiting for them in a clearing ahead, including the rider from before. Prince Lotor led them.

 

 

“Hello, my wayward half-brother,” Lotor called out with a wave. He seemed in bright spirits. 

Keith had frozen in place. Shiro took a step forward, to stand by his side. Keith turned and whispered, “What should we do?” 

“At least they did not arrive a few hours earlier,” Shiro whispered back. “We might be able to explain, to make them understand --” 

Keith nodded, but he did not look convinced. 

“Hello, brother,” Keith said with no warmth in his voice as Lotor started to walk towards them. Lotor’s knights followed only a few steps behind their leader. “I’m sure you have a great deal of questions about my whereabouts. I can explain everything.” 

Too late, Shiro realized that some of the knights had started to reach for their swords. But that was impossible. There was no one around but Shiro and Keith, and these were Galran troops. They might serve Lotor, but Keith was their true-born Prince.

Shiro reached for his sword at the same time that Lotor laughed. “Oh, brother, I have no questions for you. I know where you have been. Or should I say _what_ you have been.” 

“How --” Keith stuttered. 

“It was my mother’s magic, done at my father’s request. Of course I knew.” 

Shiro did not need to hear more. He moved to stand in front of Keith. “Run,” he hissed. “This is a trap.”

But it was too late. Lotor’s knights had closed in on them. Shiro fought as well as he could, but they were badly outnumbered. His sword was knocked out of his hand, and two soldiers forced him to his knees. He looked up to see that two other soldiers had grabbed Keith. 

“What do you mean, this is her magic?” Keith snarled at Lotor. “She told me about a curse --” 

“She told you about the curse that she cast on you,” Lotor interrupted. It was hard to miss the smugness in his voice. “Did you really think that the Galran Empire was going to be content letting someone who spent the last five years in Altea take the throne?” Disgust practically dripped off his voice. “No. Better to legitimize the bastard son and let him rule. But lest the Alteans suspect that Zarkon had no interest in getting his son back, you had to disappear. And it couldn’t be too early, or the Alteans might suspect. They might make alternate plans. Best to do it as soon as you were due to ascend as possible. As soon as the Alteans thought they had really won, and the son of the Empire they raised would take the throne. So the night before your ascension, my mother’s curse would make you transform. The Alteans thought a dragon had attacked you, just like my father predicted. They even asked the Empire for aid, as if we were supposed to want you back.” 

“You’re lying. I’ll kill you,” Keith snarled. He had looked thunderstruck as Lotor started to talk, but the more his half-brother had spoken the more raw fury had contorted his features. 

“You’re welcome to try,” Lotor said dryly. “You might have an easier time of it once night falls. I do have to wait – I told Allura I would give you your head _after_ you transformed. She would be so scandalized if I lopped off your head early.” 

“You really think your men will be able to kill me once I’ve transformed?” Despite the two men holding him in place and the rest of the knights they faced, Keith smirked. 

“Well, the only reason I spared your companion’s life was that I thought it might make you a little more cooperative once the sun went down.” Keith and Lotor’s gaze both fell on Shiro. 

“No,” Shiro cried out. “Keith, save yourself. It’s not worth it.” But he could see the conflict on Keith’s face. His words were falling on deaf ears. “They’re just going to kill me anyway.” Shiro could not keep a note of pleading out of his voice. He was not afraid to die. But he was afraid that his life might be used as leverage against Keith. 

“Lotor,” Keith said slowly. “So I understand your plan. I understand that my father never wanted me back. But there’s one thing I don’t understand. Why make a curse that could be broken by someone falling in love with me?” 

Lotor’s upper lip curled in disdain. “You misunderstood her words. It was not about someone falling in love with you. It was if you learned to love someone. The Alteans were your captors. Even you would not be so wretched as to fall in love with your captors.” 

It was clear from the look of shock on Keith’s face that he had not considered this interpretation of the curse. But then he started to smile. 

“Altea did often feel like a prison, no matter how much Alfor and Allura tried. But I broke out of that prison, and someone found me before you did, Lotor.” 

A tendril of smoke floated in front of Shiro’s face. It was faint, but Shiro thought it looked red in the morning sun. 

Lotor swore. “Slit his throat,” he said curtly to the guards holding Shiro. Shiro closed his eyes and braced for the cold kiss of steel.

He opened his eyes back again at the sound of screaming. Keith had transformed into a dragon, and gave a roar that would have sent Shiro to his knees if he hadn’t already been kneeling. The two men guarding Shiro had raised their swords, but Keith was faster – a swipe of his claws and they were both laid out on the ground. Shiro got to his feet unsteadily. The braver of Lotor’s guards had started to attack, but their arrows bounced off Keith’s scales and their swords could not even scratch him. The wiser of the guards had started to run. A swipe of his tail was enough to knock most of the remaining soldiers over. Lotor had drawn his sword but stood his ground unsteadily. Keith lunged forward and grabbed him with one of his claws. 

Lotor and his knights had been defeated, and it had taken less than a minute. 

“You transformed,” Shiro looked at Keith, awe-struck. “But it’s still the morning --”

“I thought when I was cured it would mean that I didn’t become a dragon anymore. It never occurred to me that I had already been cured, and I was only turning into a dragon at night because I expected to. And if that was the case, then I figured it meant I could transform at will.” Keith turned his attention back to Lotor. “You should be thankful. I can fly you back to my sister now. Save you a long trip. I’m sure she’ll be very interested to hear what you have to say.” 

 

 

They flew the whole day and reached the capital by night. They had let the remaining horse go; they had no need for it now. Shiro rode on Keith’s back. Keith carried Lotor in his left hand as he flew. It was a horrible way to experience flight, but Shiro found little room in his heart to pity the Galran prince. As forest, river, and mountain passed below them, Shiro thought he could hear the occasional cry (and maybe see the occasional arrow) but they glided among the clouds and were unbothered by any clamor below. 

When they reached the castle, Keith landed in the palace gardens after being chased by a volley of arrows. (He made sure to shield Shiro and Lotor as he flew, although he grumbled about the latter.) When the guards rushed into the gardens with their swords drawn, they found Shiro with the King’s ward and the bastard son of the Galran Empire all standing there, the latter with his arms tied behind his back. Shiro thought he could live to be a hundred and not forget the look of astonishment the three of them received. 

“If I were you, I would fetch the Queen now,” Shiro suggested blandly. 

It took Allura only a few minutes to arrive. She hugged Keith tightly at once, and then turned to Shiro. 

“I told you that I had faith in your ability to bring my brother back,” she gushed. But her voice took on a slightly more confused tone as she continued, “Although it appears I might require a little more explanation from my brother about exactly how you did that.” 

It took Keith several minutes to tell the story in full. As he talked, Allura’s expression grew angrier and angrier. By the end, she summoned her guards. 

“Throw Prince Lotor into the dungeon, and keep him under guard. We will be contacting the Emperor Zarkon about this.” She sighed as the guards escorted the bastard Prince out of the gardens.  
“This will be a major diplomatic crisis. But whatever happens, the Galran heir is here and safe, whether Zarkon wants him here or not.” She sighed, but then turned to Shiro and started to smile. “You have done so much for myself, my brother, this kingdom. Whatever your heart desires, ask for it. I will see it done.” 

Shiro blanched. “Your Highness – I --”

Before he could think of anything to say, Keith interjected. “I know what I would like. Please, Allura, can I have a moment alone with Shiro?” 

Allura looked in surprise first at Keith and then at Shiro. But then a look of understanding gradually settled over her features and she smiled. “Of course.” 

A few minutes later, and the two of them were alone in the gardens. The sun had started to set, and the palace was awash in the soft beauty of the dying light. 

“It will be dark soon,” Shiro finally said. “I am happy you don’t have to worry about that anymore.” 

Keith laughed. “I’m happy I finally have a chance to do this,” he replied, and he drew in Shiro for a kiss. It was unrushed and unhurried, better than any kiss Shiro could have imagined, if he had had the courage to really imagine kissing a prince. And when Keith finally pulled away, it might have been Shiro’s imagination, but he thought Keith tasted a little of fire and ash. 

“I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay here,” Shiro said. “But I can be here for as long as you need.” 

Keith frowned. “You want to return to your farm?” 

The truthful answer was no, but Shiro only sighed. “I am not sure I have much choice.” 

“Stay here,” Keith insisted. “Stay in the Palace with me. Be my knight.” 

It was Shiro’s turn to laugh, but it had none of the sweetness of Keith’s laugh. Bitterness laced it. “I am no knight,” he said. 

“You rescued me from a dragon,” Keith smiled. “I’m sure that makes you a knight.” He went to kiss Shiro again, and Shiro had to accept that maybe there was some truth to Keith’s words after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the fic so far! It was a blast to write and thanks to the Sheith Secret Santa mods for setting up the exchange. If you ever want to yell about fantasy AUs and/or Sheith and/or dragons, [my ask box on tumblr is always open.](http://desastrista.tumblr.com/ask)


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